Data Study Group Final Report: The John Muir Trust

Identifying Wild Places using Social and Physical Datasets

Abstract

Wild places can be found across the United Kingdom. These may be remote mountains in the Scottish Highlands, windswept cliffs on the Northern Ireland coast, woody glades across Wales or overgrown parks and cemeteries in England’s cities. Much of where these wild places are found depends on the definition of what it means to be a wild place. Recent studies have given evidence that wild places are vital to ensuring biodiversity and robust ecologies, as well as having a direct influence on mental and physical health. 

In this challenge, we combine qualitative survey data with geospatial datasets to better understand the public’s perception of wild places, their distribution across the UK, and possible measures to evaluate what makes a wild place be considered wild. This work was led by the John Muir Trust (JMT), a Scottish charitable organisation dedicated to the conservation of wild places and wilderness in the UK. Through its work, the trust aims to foster a greater appreciation for the intrinsic value of wilderness.

Citation information

Data Study Group Team. (2023). The John Muir Trust Identifying Wild Places using Social and Physical Datasets. The Alan Turing Institute. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10033723

Additional information

  • Rashid Barket is a PhD candidate at Coventry University. 
  • Mauricio A. Diaz is a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton.
  • Zixin Feng is a PhD candidate at University of Glasgow. 
  • Nick Homer is a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and an intern at the John Muir Trust during this DSG.
  • Liz Ing-Simmons is a postdoctoral investigator Scientist at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences. 
  • Kaixin Ji is a PhD candidate at RMIT University. 
  • Crist´ın Lambert is one of the challenge organisers for this DSG. 
  • Matthew Sargent is a PhD candidate at University College London. 
  • Namid Stillman is a researcher at Simudyne and was a postdoctoral researcher at UCL during part of this DSG. 
  • Fanzhi Su is a PhD candidate at University of Cambridge. 
  • Alan Warr earned a management science PhD at the London Business School.